after news of robby muller's death last week i went looking for films he shot i'd yet to see and found this one: austrian novelist peter handke's first film, an adaptation of his own novel (produced by wim wenders). the story of a housewife choosing to leave her husband (bruno ganz) and grasping for selfhood. made with a slow, minimal filmmaking style that nods to chantal akerman/ozu. muller's photography is phenomenal, utilizing natural sources of lighting from all kinds of environments and wringing incredible depth out of them. good movie!

blue steel (1990) - kathryn bigelow

barfly (1987) - barbet schroeder

about halfway through i realized that this is actually a total screwball comedy and everything i'd seen up to that point (i.e. the entire comic tilt of mickey rourke's bukowski impression) suddenly clicked into gear. another one shot by muller with gorgeous neon lighting

Good times - what a surprise on so many levels, 8/10Spirit of the Beehive - i could watch it again and again, 9/10Outside In - unexpectedly warm, good acting 6.5/10The Tale (2017) - meh, 4.5/1028 Days (Viggo Mortensen, Sandra Bullock) - addiction is hell of a fun, 1/10Anon - what a drag 4/10Divines - grat acting, heart touching 7.5/10The Punisher (1989) - not bad enough to be good 1/10Illegitimate - unconvincing Romanian new wave - 5.5/10Spotlight - 1 additional star for Michael Keaton 5.5/10Stand Up Guys - Pacino and Walken in a ridiculously lame movie 2/10Whitney: Can I Be Me? - watchable 6.5/10

Vertigo - this is another movie where it's senseless to really talk about ITT because there's a lot of smart/good writing about Vertigo already. I hadn't seen it since high school/college though and it really floored me. it's so emotionally complex and I can't wait to watch it again soon. it's playing on 35 mm later this month so im going to try and see it on the big screen. Probably my favorite Hitchcock or at least tied for first with Rope.

Unsane - I rewatched this after seeing it in the theater earlier this year. I liked it a lot the first time seeing it but found even more to appreciate on the second time watch and was more impressed with some of the camera work and subtle clues. I think this is an easy Soderbergh to write off but it's pretty damn good.

Moana - This was ok! It kinda felt like Disney ad lib and didn't have the nuances other Disney films have w/r/t its overall themes.

Ant-Man and the Wasp - I don't like superhero movies but I end up seeing most of them and I liked this more than most. I really like movies that take place over 24 hours or just a few days and this had a really good 50s B/sci-fi vibe mixed with a 70s heist flick. I just wanna see Michelle Pfeiffer in everything lol.

Dial M for Murder - I liked it a lot but wasn't blown away. I couldn't stop thinking how this was just the straight version of Rope lol. I felt like a solid Agatha Christie adaptation.

The First Purge - Two steps down from The Purge: Anarchy, which remains to be the best film in the franchise by a long mile. This had it's moments but it felt like a poor remake of Anarchy and some of it was straight up bad. It does have the best line of 2018: A character named Dolores takes a swig of whiskey, turns to her friend and says, "This tastes like old man ass. Don't ask me how I know what old man ass tastes like."

Torch Song Trilogy - This was so so so good. I can't/dont want to say too much on it because I am still processing it. A great snapshot of a singular gay man's hopes and dreams and values in the 70s/80s. Really amazing.

Gemini - This is like 100% made for be but the script felt unfinished. I figured out what was going on about 20 minutes in and expected the movie to pull some unexpected tricks but...it doesnt. too bad because the style/pacing/casting/acting/music is exactly what i want in a movie.

Letters to Juliet - In which Amanda Seyfried stars in her bad version of An Affair to Remember.

I think Hunter and especially Evan Rachel Wood are great in Thirteen but it's like one of those old juvenile delinquency films except not as overtly-corny. It also has a million things going on at once while also not having a discernable plot. Plus, all the racism.

Are there any films that capture the social media zeitgeist without feeling like a Vice article come to life? This movie is chock full of valid points that have been made ad nauseam since it stopped being "thefacebook.com" At the very least, this Matt Spicer guy should have a bright future in directing shitty broad comedies because talk about a heavy hand

The Life of Oharu (1952)- Kenji Mizoguchi Great film and bleak as all hell.The Philadelphia Story (1940)- George CukorReally enjoyed it, loved the dialogue and performances.Through A Glass Darkly (1961)- Ingmar BergmanLoved it.Winter Light (1963)- Ingmar BergmanThis ruled. One of favourite Bergmans for sure.